Refreshing Youth Leaders in the North
Praise team leading worship during the summit.
The need for reaching our youth is of the essence, and the Northern Refresh Summit in Sudbury was exactly what the name implies: a total refreshing of the soul, focus, and strategy.
I’ve been on a journey with this since the Northern Ontario Youth Retreat in Wawa, September 2025, which was the initial spark I needed to ignite a fire for youth evangelism. Now, as the Young Adults Ministry leader at Cornerstone Seventh-day Adventist Church, I left Sudbury better equipped and encouraged for the work ahead.
One of the most incredible dynamics was the blend of regions. While Wawa was focused on Northern Ontario, Sudbury brought in the Near North crew. In a territory where we are often separated by 15-hour drives, seeing leaders from Thunder Bay and Sioux Lookout alongside new friends from Barrie and Bracebridge was a massive networking game-changer. I have been praying for deep Christian friendships this past year, and those prayers were answered in Wawa and continued to be answered during Refresh in Sudbury. These are genuine Kingdom friendships that I’ll cherish for eternity, and I’m already collaborating with some of these new best friends on programs for our Young Adults & Youth at Cornerstone.
Pastor John Echavez preaching during the divine worship experience.
The Divine Worship service was a highlight, with music that felt like a true offering to the Lord and sermons that were practical for our daily lives. You could tell these young people are on fire and excited about the work before them. I can confidently say that there is no greater fuel for a leader than the pure joy found in active service for Christ!
The workshops were some of the most current and practical I’ve ever attended. We explored AI tools outside of ChatGPT (which we still like!), and now I am using some of my favourite tools, like Manus AI and NotebookLM. It was great to see how we can streamline our processes and spend more time on ministry.
We also learned about Google Ad Grants, which offer nonprofits $10,000 every single month for free to reach people (check out google.ca/grants if you haven't yet). These workshops weren't just about theory; they were about leaving with resources, skills, and a shift in mindset to further the Kingdom's work ahead of us.
A workshop presenter sharing a jovial moment with workshop attendees.
The atmosphere was heartwarming from start to finish. The food was hands down 12 out of 10, and the hospitality was amazing; not a single detail was missed. The Saturday games night will absolutely go down in HISTORY. I haven't had that much fun in a long time.
It was a blessing to experience Refresh alongside my Cornerstone family, including our pastor and his family, which only strengthened our bonds as followers of Christ.
I also want to shout out and say thank you to the volunteers, the AYO leadership, the musicians, and the Sudbury Seventh-day Adventist Church. If you haven’t come to a Refresh Summit before (or any AYO event), you have to.
Don’t come for the fear of missing out; come because you will leave empowered to serve and blessed by a fellowship that is hard to put into words. I’m already looking forward to the day I can spend every day with this family in Heaven.